Batid ni Dina Bonnevie kung gaano siya kalapit sa yumaong Regal matriarch na si Lily Monteverde.

Katunayan, sabi ng aktres, “I started with Regal… Mother would always say na dalawa lang ang original Regal baby niya — ako daw saka si Alice [Dixson].”

Kaya gulat na gulat daw si Dina nang nalaman niyang namayapa na ang iconic movie producer.

Nitong mga nakalipas na buwan ay wala raw kasi siyang balita kay Mother Lily at sa asawa nitong si Father Remy Monteverde.

Kaya sorpresa raw para sa kanya nang nabalitaan niya, mula sa mister niyang si DV Savellano, ang magkasunod na pagpanaw nina Mother Lily at Father Remy.

Kuwento ni Dina, “Actually no, it was a surprise. I actually dreamt about her.

“And then I told my husband, ‘I dreamt about Mother?’ Sabi niya, ‘Sinong Mother?’ ‘Si Mother Lily.’

“Sabi niya, ‘Uy, patay na yan.’ ‘Uy, is that a joke?’ So, hindi. ‘Ito o, nasa Facebook.’

“Kasi hindi ko alam. I didn’t even know that father Remy passed away.”

Pumanaw si Father Remy noong Hulyo 29, 2024, sa edad na 86.

Anim na araw ang lumipas, si Mother Lily naman ang binawian ng buhay sa edad na 84.

Pagpapatuloy ni Dina, “Nalaman ko na lang. Basta ang sabi ko, ‘Totoo ba yan, baka fake news yan.’

“So I searched his name sa Facebook, nakalagay dun name niya, Remy Monteverde. Tapos nakalagay, ‘passed,’ e. ‘Huh, patay na siya, tapos may libing pala nung August 3.’

“And then, that day, parang breaking news pa lang yung kay Mother that she passed away.

“Wala, wala pa dito [sa lamayan], parang breaking news pa. Parang kamamatay niya pa lang. E, that was Saturday, Sunday?

“Sunday. The next day, may taping ako, so wala pa naman dito. So I didn’t know where to go, and all.

“Then I was taping Monday, Tuesday. Ngayon lang talaga ang free day ko, tapos Thursday, Friday taping pa din.”

Nakausap ng PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal), ABS-CBN News, at GMA News crew si Dina matapos itong magbigay-pugay sa mga labi ni Mother Lily sa Valencia Events Place, Quezon City, Miyerkules ng gabi, August 7, 2024.

Naulila nina Father Remy at Mother Lily ang lima nilang anak: sina Winston, Sherida [Meme], Roselle, Dondon, at Goldwin.

DINA BONNEVIE: MOTHER LILY WAS REALLY LIKE A MOTHER TO ME

Ano ang fondest memory niya kay Mother Lily?

Saad ni Dina, “Actually, it’s hard for me to also, parang hindi pa nagsi-sink in sa akin kasi Mother was really like a mother to me.

“Because when I started, I know how many times she would spank me kasi palpak yung Tagalog ko.

“She would call me, ‘Itong malanding Bicolanang ito,’ yan ang favorite dialogue niya sa akin.

“We would eat lugaw together, be in her kitchen together. She would be taking a bath and I’m inside her banyo waiting for her, while she’s taking a bath. That close.

“She would even call the masahista, ‘Masahiin mo si Dina dito.’ ‘Mother, why I am in your room?’ ‘You stay there.’

“Tapos minsan pag nagseselos siya kay Father, ako yung panangga niya. ‘Ayan o si Father.’ ‘Mother, nag-i-imagine ka, walang ginagawa si Father.’

“Tapos pag nag-aaway na sila, andun ako sa gitna. Sabi ko, ‘Why am I here?’

“There was even a time na si Meme and Roselle, parang nagseselos sila kasi lagi akong nasa room ni Mother. And I would tell her, ‘Why am I always in your room? I wanna go out?’ ‘No, no.’

“Ako yung pinakarebelde, actually, pero mahal na mahal niya ako kasi I tell her what’s in my head.

“Pero dahil dun, eventually naging sobrang naging close rin ako kay Meme and Roselle na I was, like, the third girl in her… well, I was like the ate amongst her children.

“I’m just happy na nakita ko si Meme and Roselle [sa burol] kasi it’s like seeing siblings that I missed for so long ago.”

Pagbubunyag pa ni Dina: “In fact, my name was supposed to be Marilyn Monteverde.

“Kaya lang, sabi nga nila, ‘She won Miss Magnolia, first runner-up as Dina Bonnevie, so le’s just retain the name Dina Bonnevie.’

“But I was almost Marilyn Monteverde, my screen name dapat.”

DINA BONNEVIE ON WHAT SHE WILL MISS ABOUT MOTHER LILY

Binalikan din ni Dina ang travels nila ni Mother Lily.

Sabi niya, “Mother and I would travel to the States, to Hong Kong.

“I will miss her sense of humor. She’s so funny and I really treated her like a mom.

“Even nung nag-asawa na ako and all, I would call her all the time telling her about my life, my problems, what I’m going through.

“Even yung kids ko kinakausap niya, ganun kami ka-close ni Mother.

“I’m really one of her closest alaga.”

Hindi rin nakakalimutan ni Dina ang mga unang pelikula niya sa Regal Films na Temptation Island (1980) at Katorse (1980).

Sabi niya, “Well, siyempre Katorse, kasi that was my first solo starrer.

“Temptation Island was my first movie but Katorse is when I wore my magic kamison.

“Practically, all throughout the shooting of that, Mother would come to Ilocos to visit.

“She watched the whole pictorial, everything, lahat.

“Pati yung haircut, kasi I was 17 when I did Katorse. Pati yung magiging hairstyle ko na magmukha akong bata and all.

“But it wasn’t so far away who I was at that time, because I think I had my menstruation at 15. So, late bloomer din talaga ako. So yun.”